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Kingston News May 20, 2020

Premier Doug Ford says public schools will remain closed for the rest of the school year, but at-home learning will continue. Ford says the safety of children is his top priority during the COVID-19 pandemic. Education Minister Stephen Lecce says he will announce a plan before the end of June for the reopening of schools in September. The Ontario Public School Boards’ Association says it will work with the province to reopen schools in the Fall, but the experience will likely be different than in the past.

Ontario has extended its pandemic emergency orders until May 29th. The orders mean the closure of bars and restaurants except for takeout and delivery will continue along with measures that limit gatherings to five people.

New Case

Kingston has recorded its first new case of COVID-19 in about three weeks.

KFL&A Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Kieran Moore, says it appears as though the person acquired the coronavirus outside this region.

The resident of the area had left the region on a trip and then returned home.

This brings the total number of COVID-19 cases in the region to 62. 61 of the cases have been cleared.

Drowning Victim Identified

Lennox and Addington County OPP have identified the man whose body was recovered from the Napanee River on Monday. the man has been identified as 34-year-old Kyle Boomhour.

Police found his body in the river after being called about a man being in the water in the area of Clark Avenue around 5:30 on Monday morning.

Mayor – Princess Street

Mayor Bryan Paterson says the city is putting together a plan to close one lane of Princess Street in downtown Kingston on weekdays and closing it to traffic on weekends.

Paterson made the announcement in a YouTube update yesterday saying the city is looking at ways to use public spaces in new ways to help businesses or provide opportunities for walking and cycling.

He says it would allow stores to put out displays and restaurants to expand patio space to accommodate physical distancing.

Economic Recovery Meeting

The Mayors Economic Recovery Team is holding its first formal meeting this morning.

The Zoom meeting will be live streamed on Mayor Bryan Paterson’s YouTube channel.

Grants

The United Way of Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox and Addington and the Community Foundation for Kingston and Area are now accepting applications for emergency funding.

The money will come from the federal government’s Emergency Community Support Fund.

It provides financial support to charities adapting their frontline services to support vulnerable Canadians during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The United Way and the Community Foundation will collectively receive over $900,000 to distribute in Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox and Addington.

Details on applying for funding are available on the United Way and Community Foundation websites.

Shoutout – Annette Willis

She is an unsung hero to several hundred people in Kingston.

Annette Willis makes quilts as art in her Portsmouth Village studio. She started turning her fabric collection into unique face masks to help fill the need during the COVID-19 pandemic.

She has produced more than 600 masks that she has given away.

Willis says she has been a bit overwhelmed by the demand and has taken a short break from giving them away.

She’ll now be selling masks on a sliding scale of what is affordable for each individual. She will ask for a payment of anywhere from $6-$16. Details are available on her Chasing Lightning Bugs Studio Facebook page.